So, you want to go to law school?  You already know you will need to complete the LSAT exam, as well as the LSAT Writing requirement.  LSAT Writing is a thirty-five minute writing assignment requiring you to assess a hypothetical problem, select between two possible solutions and write a persuasive essay advocating for one side.  While the essay is not scored, it will play a role in admissions committees’ evaluation of your application so you will want to make the best possible impression.

Issa DiSciullo jumped right into her role as Seton Hall Law’s Assistant Dean for JD and Graduate Admissions when she took the helm in September 2019. As a national leader in admissions and a recognized expert in diversity and inclusion, she is already making tremendous strides as she commits to providing equal access to education for every prospective student. We asked Dean DiSciullo what she loves about higher education and what she hopes for interested applicants.

I recently presented keys to success at a law firm as part of the Women’s Leadership Committee’s programming. These tips are things I learned along the way during my career, things I saw others doing, or things that I wish I had done differently or better while in practice since hindsight is 20/20.

(Post updated September 14, 2023)

Once you have tackled your personal statement and secured outstanding letters of recommendation, it is time to stand back and look at the “pieces” of your law school application objectively. It is helpful to view your law school application as a puzzle to be understood by the readers (those evaluating your potential for success in law school and in a legal career).

In most cases the readers will only get to know you from the items in your application file. There will be no interview and no other way to assess your potential. So, stand back and objectively determine – with everything that will be seen in my admissions file, what raises questions? What are the missing puzzle pieces to understanding why I am a good candidate for admission?

If you feel that your application, when viewed as a whole, is missing an important piece of information that could answer the above questions, you should consider writing an addendum. Below are the most common types of addenda we see:  

Attending law school gives individuals the opportunity to act selflessly and help others. Being a part of the Seton Hall Law School community and engaging with those in dire need of legal assistance is at the core of the Law School’s mission. As a member of the Seton Hall Law community, I’m proud to have taken the opportunity to help families detained in Karnes, Texas during Spring Break.

I am thrilled to have joined Seton Hall Law’s faculty full-time in July 2019 after almost a decade of practice as a corporate and financial markets attorney.  As I gear up to teach Business Associations and Securities Regulation in the coming year, I am excited to leverage my practice experience in developing an onramp for students into the world of business law. 

This year's class of Leadership Fellows engaged with the community in a variety of ways, launching a website to guide first generation law students on the road to law school and success in law school, partnering with the Association for Children of NJ to create a "know your rights" guide, teaming with a variety of high schools in Newark, Jersey City and beyond to empower those hoping to go to law school, forming a relationship with Girls with Pearls, a mentoring group aimed at empowering young women as they begin their professional careers, and pairing with the U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. District Court of NJ to facilitate the aims of the ReNew Re-entry Program.

I initially did not see the e-mail for the Karnes trip.  I will admit there are many e-mails that I delete without reading because I know that most of the opportunities offered do not fit my life.  I am part of Seton Hall Law’s first weekend class.  I commute from Long Island.  I work full-time in a state trial court.  I am a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, and take on many other roles throughout the day.  My life is hectic. 

I finally took the plunge and brought my kids to work on this so-named day. I was excited to teach my son and daughter a little bit about what I do (they still don't know), introduce them to my coworkers, and watch them explore this "way awesome" building. While we did bond over some of the daily grind, they really opened my eyes to the place I've studied or worked the last 14 years.   

Here's a list of some of their questions from the day:

It’s going to sound cliché, but as I approached the end of my 2L summer I started asking myself what I could do to leave the law school better than I had found it. It had been a bumpy road for me, largely because of my own struggles as a first-generation law student. Although I felt very confident about my own future, having secured a job offer with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, I realized that others were dealing with similar issues and I decided that founding a First-Generation Law Students Association (FGLSA) at Seton Hall Law School was the way to go. With plenty of help from administration and other students, the group was successfully formed in September of 2018. The mission of the organization is to create a community for all first-generation students to come together to tackle law school and the legal profession with support. FGLSA now has roughly 60 members, with more joining every week.